It Isn't Nostalgia

Evil Dead (2013)

There's been a lot of talk about "nostalgia" throughout the entertainment industry - particularly in regards to Hollywood, which has been focused primarily on remakes and reboots of existing IP the last decade or more. In fact, Nintendo has even re-released their original NES video game console!
 
While these things are being well-received, people aren't "nostalgic" for the past; they're clamoring for better product, so - in the absence of such - they're returning to product they enjoyed in the past. I don't get "nostalgic" for my favorite foods; I enjoy them, so I eat them more often than foods I don't enjoy as much. I'm certainly open to trying new foods, but if I don't have access to new foods, I'm likely to eat something I know I enjoy.

Producers and financiers are looking for sure-bets and they've thrown creativity under the bus in favor of a better chance at ROI. I don't blame them for wanting to make money - I do, too - so I'm willing to do what's necessary to get a script optioned, but there is a difference between nostalgia and simply rejecting current product because it does not satisfy a desire or need. I believe that audiences are doing the latter.

For the most part, IP from the Glory Days of the '80s and early '90s are proven commodities - the success of superhero movies proves that - but it's wrong to assume that audiences crave these properties for nostalgic reasons, especially since much of the audience wasn't even alive at the time, or were too young to remember these properties clearly. New properties with better financing and marketing can thrive in today's environment, especially on streaming.

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2017